Many medical devices and instruments may be reused on a number of patients. Before a medical device or instrument is used on another patient, the medical device or instrument generally needs to be reprocessed. For example, after an endoscope is used on a patient, a number of steps are required to reprocess the endoscope before that the endoscope can be reused. Included in the steps of reprocessing an endoscope is a disinfecting step using, for example, a liquid disinfectant solution.
Conventionally, liquid disinfectant solutions are prepared as aqueous solutions and are then shipped by a manufacturer to a hospital or other facility. The disinfectant solutions may be shipped as a concentrate which is then diluted at the hospital or other facility to disinfect an endoscope. Alternatively, the disinfectant solutions may be shipped end-user concentrations and then used “as is” for disinfecting. For either the concentrated or the “as is” disinfectant solution most of the shipping cost is due to the water in the solution, not the needed disinfectant.
Apparatus and devices designed for the at least partially automated cleaning and sterilization of medical devices and instruments are known. Antimicrobial solutions adapted for use in such sterilizing devices are also known, but may suffer drawbacks either in terms of storage, handling, corrosiveness, or compromised capability of rapid in situ dissolution of the medical device or instrument.
Some of these antimicrobial solutions use peracetic acid or other strong oxidants as a sterilizing agent. Storage conditions which may subject a contained peracetic acid solution to increases in temperature must be avoided, and storage of containers which vent such solutions into the atmosphere may be problematic and subject to regulatory restrictions.
There is a need for improved high level antimicrobial and disinfectant solutions and systems to clean and sterilize medical devices and instruments that do not suffer from any of the problems associated with previous solutions and systems.